Editing Names of God in Islam (section)

== Theophoric given names ==
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2024}}

{{See also|List of Arabic theophoric names}}
[[File:Khalili Collection Hajj and Arts of Pilgrimage Talismanic shirt.jpg|thumb|[[Talismanic shirt]] inscribed with the 99 names of God as well as [[Quran]]ic verses and prayers, Turkey, 18th century, [[Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage]].]]
The Arabic names of God are used to form theophoric given names commonly used in Muslim cultures throughout the world, mostly in Arabic speaking societies.

Because the names of God themselves are reserved to God and their use as a person's given name is considered religiously inappropriate, theophoric names are formed by prefixing the term [[Abd (Arabic)|''ˁabd'']] (عَبْدُ: "slave/servant of") to the name in the case of male names;

This distinction is established out of respect for the sanctity of Divine names, which denote attributes (of love, kindness, mercy, compassion, justice, power, etc.) that are believed to be possessed in a full and absolute sense only by God, while human beings, being limited creatures, are viewed by Muslims as being endowed with the Divine attributes only in a limited and relative capacity. The prefixing of the definite article would indicate that the bearer possesses the corresponding attribute in an exclusive sense, a trait reserved to God.

[[File:Allah names 1.svg|230x230px|thumb|Names of Allah in Arabic calligraphy.]]

Quranic verse 3:26 is cited as evidence against the validity of using Divine names for persons, with the example of ''Mālik ul-Mulk'' (مَـٰلِكُ ٱلْمُلْكُ: "Lord of Power" or "Owner of all Sovereignty"):

{{Blockquote|Say: "O God! Lord of Power, You give power to whom You please, and You strip off power from whom You please. You endue with honour whom You please, and You bring low whom You please. In Your hand is all Good." Verily, over all things You have power.|[https://quran.com/3/26 Quran 3:26]}}

The two parts of the name starting with [[Abd (Arabic)|''ˁabd'']] may be written separately (as in the previous example) or combined as one in the transliterated form; in such a case, the vowel transcribed after ''ˁabdu'' is often written as u when the two words are transcribed as one: e.g., ''[[Abd al-Rahman|Abdur-Rahman]]'', ''[[Abd al-Aziz|Abdul-Aziz]]'', ''[[Abd al-Jabbar|Abdul-Jabbar]]'', or even [[Abdullah (name)|''Abdullah'']] (عَبْدُ ٱللّٰه: "Servant of God"). (This has to do with Arabic case vowels, the final u vowel showing the normal "quote" nominative case form.)

Examples of Muslim theophoric names include:
* Raḥmān, such as ''[[Abdul-Rahman Al-Sudais|Abdul-Raḥman Al-Sudais]]'' (عَبْدُ ٱلْرَّحْمَان ٱلْسُّدَيْس): Imam of the Grand Mosque of Makkah, KSA
* Salām, such as ''[[Salam Fayyad|Salam Fayyaḍ]]'' (سَلَام فَيَّاض): Palestinian politician
* Jabbār, such as ''[[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]'' (كَرِيم عَبْدُ ٱلْجَبَّار): American basketball player
* Ḥakīm, such as [[Sherman Jackson|''Sherman "Abdul Ḥakim" Jackson'']] (عَبْدُ ٱلْحَكِيم—''ˁabdu ʼl-Ḥakiym''): American Islamic Studies scholar
* Ra'ūf, such as ''[[Ra'ouf Mus'ad]]'' (رَؤُوف مُسَعد): Egyptian-Sudanese novelist
* Mālik, such as ''[[Malik ibn Anas|Mālik bin ʼAnas]]'' (مَـٰالِك بِن أَنَس): classical [[Sunni Muslim]] scholars after whom the [[Maliki]] school of [[fiqh]] was named 
* Abdul Muqtedar as in [[M. A. Muqtedar Khan|''Muḥammad Abdul Muqtedar Khan'']] (مُحَمَّد عَبْدُ ٱلمُقْتَدِر خَان): Indian-American academic